27 March 2018

The University of Essex does not tolerate any acts of sexual violence, harassment, or hate crime.

Zero tolerance means that we will take action, and that the action will be proportionate to the circumstances of the case.

We recognise that the issue of sexual violence, harassment and hate crime is a global problem, but we are doing what we can to tackle it here – and are working hard to put a stop to it in our community.

Every member of our community has the right to feel safe, and to be empowered to report any instance of sexual violence, harassment and hate crime, and know that the university will take action on every report that is made.

Since then, work has progressed, and our new ‘report and support’ system will be launched in the summer term. This will provide a single route for people to report incidents of sexual violence, harassment, or hate crime. This new system allows for anonymity and signposts individuals to relevant internal and external support. It will be accessible to everyone at the university, whether they are a member of staff, one of our students or a visitor at one of our campuses.

To report an incident in the meantime, contact itendsnow@essex.ac.uk for information and support. If an incident has just taken place and you are not in a safe place, feel at risk, or have any injuries that require urgent attention, call the emergency services on 999.